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Rachel Howes
UX Researcher at Q2
Professional Background
Rachel Howes is an accomplished UX Researcher with substantial experience in the field of human systems engineering and psychology. Currently, she is part of the dynamic team at Q2, where she utilizes her unique skill set to enhance user experiences through thoughtful and data-driven research approaches. Rachel's career is defined by a genuine passion for understanding user needs and translating that knowledge into actionable insights that drive product development and innovation.
Before joining Q2, Rachel served as a User Experience Researcher at OpenText. In this role, she was instrumental in shaping product design and user interaction by employing a variety of research methodologies to examine user behaviors and preferences. Rachel's ability to synthesize complex information and communicate it effectively to stakeholders has been a significant factor in her success within the organization. Her efforts not only improved user satisfaction but also contributed to OpenText's commitment to delivering exceptional software solutions.
Rachel’s foundational experience in research began during her academic tenure, where she worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at Arizona State University. This role allowed her to delve deep into human systems engineering, where she honed her research skills, developed a strong analytical mindset, and cultivated a greater understanding of human-computer interactions. Rachel’s academic endeavors have equipped her with cutting-edge insights that she applies to practical settings in her professional life.
Education and Achievements
Rachel’s educational background is impressive and serves as a strong foundation for her career in UX research. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Louisiana State University, where she developed a keen interest in understanding human behavior and cognitive processes. This early academic experience laid the groundwork for her later studies in human systems engineering, culminating in a Master's Degree from Arizona State University. This blend of psychology and engineering provides Rachel with a unique perspective on user experience, enabling her to analyze and improve systems that engage users effectively.
Throughout her career, Rachel has gained recognition as a thought leader in UX research, advocating for user-centric design principles and innovative research techniques. Her success is attributed to her continuous desire to learn and adapt to the evolving landscape of technology and user expectations. Rachel remains committed to professional growth, regularly participating in workshops and conferences related to UX research and human-computer interaction.
Achievements
Rachel Howes has built a robust career characterized by a series of notable achievements in the field of UX research. Her dedication to enhancing user experiences has not only led to the improvement of products but has also paved the way for innovative solutions that address real user challenges. At Q2, her contributions have solidified her reputation as a valuable member of the team, enhancing the organization's capacity to deliver customized solutions for users.
Throughout her tenure at OpenText, Rachel played a critical role in projects that required a deep understanding of user needs and behaviors. Her ability to conduct thorough user interviews, usability tests, and user journey mapping has proven vital in identifying pain points and areas for improvement in product design. By presenting her findings with clarity and precision, she has successfully influenced product strategy and design directions, showcasing her exceptional communication skills.
In her academic pursuits, Rachel's research work has undoubtedly contributed to the scholarly community, enhancing the body of knowledge within human systems engineering. Her experience as a Graduate Research Assistant at Arizona State University allowed her to contribute to significant research projects that explored human interactions with technology, further establishing her expertise in this niche field.
Conclusion
Overall, Rachel Howes is a dedicated professional whose extensive background in UX research and human systems engineering uniquely positions her to make meaningful contributions in her field. Through her work at Q2 and previous experience at OpenText, Rachel’s expertise is evident in her comprehensive research abilities, her commitment to user-centric design, and her passion for understanding the interplay between technology and human behavior. As she continues to evolve in her career, there is no doubt that Rachel will remain a significant voice in the UX community, advocating for innovation and excellence in user experience design.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Clay is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Clay as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Clay offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Clay's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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